Bow facing oars and related equipment



June 13, 1967 H. A. JEWETT 3,324,490

BOW FACING OARS AND RELATED EQUIPMENT Filed OCL. 21, 1965 2 Sheets-$heet l 4 INVENTOR June 13, 1967 H. A. JEWETT BOW FACING OARS AND RELATED EQUIPMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed Oct. 21, 1965 INVENTOR 3 324 490 ROW FACING OAKS AiND RELATlED EQUIPMENT Harold A. .Icwett, 5451 42nd St. NW.,

Washington, DC. 20015 Filed Oct. 21, 1965, Ser. No. 499,760 9 Claims. (Cl. 9-25) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLGSURE The present invention relates to novel boat oars of the "bow-facing type and has as an object facilitation of avoidance of mutual in-tercontact between a pair of such oars during use, notwithstanding each of them extends across the boat and beyond its opposite side, as below set out.

Among the many self-evident advantages of bow-facing oars over stern-facing oars generally, may be mentioned that of permit-ting the oarsrnen to use the muscular movements of ordinary rowing while nevertheless seeing directly where he is going and not having to turn his head to do so, thereby keeping himself in a position to steer directly toward any desired destination, eg the scene of an emergency involving persons in danger of drowning.

Briefly stated, the aforesaid object is accomplished by introducing axial elbows or angles into the axes of the shafts of a pair of the novel oars, whereby avoidance of said intercontact is facilitated, said angles being so interrelated that the above-water end of an oar can be pivoted on or adjacent one side of the boat, while the rest of the oar extends across and then outwardly beyond the other side of the boat, the below-water or blade end consequently being beyond the side of the boat which is opposite the one on which the oar is pivoted, and with the oars crossing the longitudinal axis of the boat at different elevations and in crisscross interrelationship, as viewed in plan.

Additional objects and their accomplishments will appear as the description of the invention proceeds.

In the drawings, wherein all figures are to be understood as basically diagrammatic or schematic, and all expressions such as horizontal, upward, front, rear, etc. as being relative and approximate unless otherwise evident, to be more particularly described later on:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a pair of novel bow-facing oars of the invention, in position of use on a conventional rowboat;

FIG. 2 is the same as FIG. 1 except in rear elevation and with the boat omitted except for its oar locks;

FIG. 3 is the same as FIG. 2 except in rear perspective and with portions of the boats gunwales shown;

FIG. 4 is an analytical plan diagram of characteristic rearward paths of the grip portions of the novel bowfacing oars of the invention;

FIG. 5 is the same as FIG. 4 except that the oars are of the conventional stern-facing type;

FIG. 6 is an analytical rear perspective diagram of the paths depicted in FIG. 4 plus the ensuing frontward paths of said grip portions, and along with a usual type of rowboat seat;

3,324,49d Patented June 13, 1957 FIG. 7 is the same as FIG. 6 except that the oars are those of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a rear perspective analytical diagram of a pair of oars like those of FIGS. 1-3 except for differences discussed below;

FIG. 9 is the same as FIG. 8 except as pointed out below;

FIG. 10 is like FIG. 9 except for differences discussed below;

FIG. 11 is like FIG. 8 except in rear elevation and with differences discussed below;

FIG. 12 is like FIG. 8 except that the oars 'have been pulled rearwardly;

FIG. 13 is a rear elevational diagram of a pair of conventional oars in position of use;

FIG. 14 is the same as FIG. 13 except that the elevations of the grip portions have been changed in a belowdiscussed novel manner;

FIG. 15 is a plan diagram showing an oarsman sitting on the rear seat of a rowboat generally similar to that of FIG. 1, in position to make use of the oar lock sockets of said boat for a pair of novel bow-facing oars of the invention;

FIG. 16 is an exploded side elevational diagram of the boat of FIG. 15 (considered as if transparent) plus a cross board of the invention being lowered onto the gunwales of the boat in manner for two pins depending from the board to respectively occupy the oar lock sockets of the boat and thereby remova'bly secure the board on the boat;

FIG. 17 is the same as FIG. 15 except that the oarsman is using a more frontward seat, and annexation of the cross board of FIG. 16 has been completed, said board containing a plurality of series of vertical holes for selectably serving as oar lock sockets for the novel bow-facing oars of the invention; some of said plurality optionally being in outrigger position, and others correspondingly inward;

FIG. 18 is the same as FIG. 15 except that a cross board corresponding to that of FIG. 17 but differing in respects discussed below has been added;

FIG. 19 is a side elevational detail showing the position of the cross board of FIG. 18 in relation to the legs and hands of the oarsman during use;

FIG. 20 is a perspective detail schematically depicting optional and adjustable weighting of the pre-pivot por' tion of an oar of the invention;

FIG. 21 is a perspective detail of the blade, i.e. postpivot end of the oar, of FIG. 20, wherein buoyancy or lightness of weight is imparted by using rigid foam plastic for the interior of the blade;

FIG. 22 is an exploded perspective detail of the pivotend portion of an oar shaft designed to permit feathering as well as up-swinging of the shaft during use, but to otherwise preclude displacement of said end portion;

FIG. 23 is a rear perspective detail of a cross board according to FIGS. l7-19 provided with an elongate upwardly extending side wall whose top surface is disposed to serve as a rest for the post-pivot portion of a novel bow-facing oar of the invention, as well as for limiting its down movement during use.

Referring to the drawings in detail:

In FIGS. 1-3 the pre-pivot portion of the left-pivoted oar (unnumbered per se) consists of an optionally adjustable weight 1 and a pre-pivot shaft portion 2 extending to a pivot constituted by oar lock 3. The rest of the oar consists of a post-pivot shaft portion 4 terminating in a blade 5. Since the right-pivoted oar is a mirror image of the left-pivoted oar, as seen on FIG. 1, its parts will not be numeralized except to point out differences. After passing through the oar lock 3 the shaft continues to horizontal elbow 6, thence to upward elbow 7, horizontal elbows 8 and 9, a right-hand grip por-tion defined by handconfining discs 10 and 11, downward elbows 12 and 13, horizontal elbow 14, and then terminates in blade as aforesaid.

, Each of said elbows 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13 and 14 is axial and rigid, and those at 6, 7 and 8, as well as their respec tive analogs 6-a, 7-a-plus-7-b, and 8-a in the shaft of the right-pivoted oar, are of special significance. This is because they are the ones which provide for the horizontal and vertical spacings of the shafts whereby the oars normally do not conflict with each other when either one, or both, is pulled rearwardly to, e.g., the dash line positions shown on FIG. 1, or vice versa, i.e., all portions of the left-pivoted oars shaft leftward of its tip-stem 15 which, together with the other up-stems presently to be discussed, is depicted by small circles on that figure, pass a generous distance (e.g. at least 1, 1 /2, 2, 3, 4 or more inches) below the overlying post-elbow-6-a portion of the shaft of the right-pivoted oar; and all portions of the left-pivoted oars shaft rightward of its up-stem 15 pass a corresponding distance above the underlying preelboW-7-b portion of the shaft of the right-pivoted oar. In consequence, no inter-contacting or conflict between the two oars will normally occur unless or until the oars are pulled farther rearward than their dash lines position on FIG. 1, or pushed farther front'ward than their solid lines position thereon. And since the dash-line positions 16 and 16-a of the hand grip portions are about half the boats width rearward of the solid line positions of said portions, this means that over a front-rear distance of, say, at least /2, 1, 1 /2, 2, 2 /2 or more feet of hand-grip frontrear travel during use of the oars on ordinary rowboats having oar lock-to-oar lock dimensions proportionate to the distances between the oar locks depicted in FIGS. 1-3, such inter-contacting of one shaft with the other will not normally occur.

It will have been noted, in connection with the foregoing, that up-sterns 17 and 18 in the right-pivoted oars shaft serve to bring the level of that oars hand grip portion up to that of the left hand oars hand-grip portion; also, that since up-stems 17 and 18 have a combined length equal to that of up-stem 15, the axial lengths of the cars are equal; wherefore the weights of the oars also are equal. Moreover, the weight distributions to each side of the hand-grips are the same in the case of each oar.

In connection with the appended claims it will be noted that the part of shaft portion 4 between its elbows 6 and 7 (FIG. 1) constitutes a lower crossward segment which is oblique to thelongitudinal axis of the boat and is vertically spaced below the corresponding segment of the other oar (FIG. 2), also that upstem 15 (FIG. 2) constitutes an upright segment at the frontward end of said lower crossward segment, While upstems 17 and 18 (FIGS. l-3) in the other oars shaft constitute upright segments at the rearward and frontward ends of said corresponding crossward segment; horizontal spacing apart .of said upstems 15 and 17 longitudinally of the boat,

as well as crisscross interrelationship of said crossward segments, as viewed in plan, being thus provided. And inspection of FIGS; 1-2 will further show that each of the shafts of the cars comprises a series of turns such that in extending from its lock pin to its blade end, it follows a zigzag path across the boat, both when viewed in plan and when viewed in rear elevation.

In FIG. 4 the pull paths 19 and 20 of the grip portions 21 and 22 of the novel bow-facing oars (understood) are proportionately much more distant from the loci of the oars respective pivots than in the case of prior are bowfacing oars; and their generous spacing contrasts with that in FIG. 5, which shows corresponding pull paths 23 and 24 of prior-art stern-facing oars as in fact crossing each other. This also will be discussed further below. And as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, said pull paths 19 and 20 are proportionately much higher above the oarsrnans seat 25 than in the case of prior-art stern-facing oars. This will be discussed further below.

In FIGS. 8-14 the axes of the oars are depicted by the long solid lines 26 and 27, the breaks 28 in some of the lines serving to identify the loci where the lead oar shafts cross rearwardly of the trail oar shafts, and the arrows serving to signify the omission from the figures of outward, i.e. blade-end portions.

It will be noted that FIGS. 8-10 and 12 contain no counterpart of the horizontal elbow 6 of FIGS. 1-3; also that FIGS. 8 and 12 contain only a single up-stem 31, in the lead oar, for serving the aforesaid function of upstems 17 and 18 of FIGS. 1-3, whereas the lead oar in FIG. 9 has two such stems, 32 and 33, and the trail oar in FIG. 10 likewise has two such stems 34 and 35.

In FIG. 11 elbows 36 and 37 give upward components to the axes of the shafts, thereby providing for open space directly beneath the grip portions 38 and 39. During use, however, the trail oar not only will slidingly impinge on the lead oar but eventually would be blocked thereby in case the oarsman tried to pull it rearward independently of the other and without first having moved the other out of the way. Said sliding impingement could be avoidable at the start of a simultaneous pull on both oars by having elbow 36 impart a fr'ontward component as well as an upward one, and elbow 37 impart a rearward one as well as an upward one, but this would entail the disadvantage of having the grip portion 38 farther frontward and the grip portion 39 farther rearward; in other words, not equidistant from the oarsrnans seat.

In FIG. 12 sliding impingement of the trial oar on the lead oar during the pull on both is indicated at 40, and on continuance of the pull further rearward movement of the oars will soon be prevented due to locking engagement of the portion of the trail oar represented by the space 28, by the up-stem 31 of the lead oar, i.e. unless the trail oar has independently been sufiiciently raised to obviate it.

In FIG. 13 little numeralizing appears needed, since it merely depicts the conflict between the grip ends 41 and 42 of usual stern-facing oars; which conflict appears to be the price paid for the additional dimension imparted to the pre-pivot portions of the shafts by the overlapping arrangement depicted in the figure.

In FIG. 14 rigid elbows 43 and 44 have been introduced to provide down-stem 45 and up-stem 46, thereby to stagger the grip portions 41 and 42 enough to avoid such conflict. Although this exaggerates the difference in the elevations of said grip portions, some oarsmen may nevertheless prefer it to the FIG. 13 arrangement.

In FIGS. 15-19 the oarsmans head is depicted by circles 47, and his arms by lines 48 and 49 leading to the grip portions (unnumbered) of the oars 50 and 51 (FIGS. 15- 18), while the position of his legs 52 and left hand 53 are shown in FIG. 19. The boats oar lock sockets 54 serve to anchor the novel cross board 55 by receiving pins 56 depending from it, while the cross boards holes (unnumbered) selectably serve as sockets for the oar locks 57 (FIG. 19).

Pivot-to-hand grip portions of the oar shafts are wholly omitted in FIGS. 15-18 and broken away in FIG. 19.

In view of the earlier above descriptions of FIGS. 15-19, no further discussion of them appears needed at this point, other than to remark that the availability of space overlying the oarsmans legs for placement of the novel cross boards is due to the height of the above described pull paths 19 and 21 of FIG. 6, and that suitably of rear seats such as that in FIG. 15 for oars pivoted in sockets 54 therein is due to the degree of frontwardness of placement of the grip portions of the novel bow-facing oars of the invention.

In FIG. 20 pre-pivot portion 58 of the oar shaft 59 carries collars 60 and 61 between which any desired number or amount of weights may be adjustably carried, as, e.g., strips 62 of lead, removably bound in place by tightly coiled fastening wire 63. This will facilitate the oarsmans raising, or maintaining in raised position, the post-pivot portions of the oars during use.

In FIG. 21 the above mentioned use of rigid foam plastic 64 contributes lightness of weight, or buoyancy, to the blade end of the oar, thereby reducing the amount of weights 62 of FIG. 20 that may be needed. If desired, the shafts may be hollow throughout their length, i.e., if formed of extruded and shaped metal pipes filled with in-place-foamed rigid plastic, all done in accordance with well known and widely published techniques.

In FIG. 22 the post-pivot portion of the shaft (unnumbered per se) consists of a hollow pipe-like member 65 whose inner end is rotatably sleeved on round metal rod 66 which contains hole 67 through which horizontal pivot pin 68 adapted to be fed, to thereby anchor the rod 66 to the oar lock 69 via the holes 70 therein. Peripheral opening '71 in the member 65 permits the latter to be rotated about the rod 66 until blocked by key 72 carried by the rod, the length of the opening 71 being gauged to permit the desired degree of feathering. It will of course be understood that a series of such openings and keys along the member 65 may be used, if desired.

In FIG. 23 a novel cross board 73 such as above described rests on the right-side gunwale 74 and its left-side counterpart (understood), while the oar shaft 75 reciprocates above, or in sliding contact along, top surface 76 of upwardly extending side wall 77 of the board. Due to the aforesaid weighting and buoyancy-providing expedients, maintaining the oar at desired elevations above the surface 76 is facilitated.

The expressions pre-pivot and post-pivot, as above used, mean along the axis of the oars shaft starting adjacent its pivot-contacting or above-water end. And the expression center line is used to mean the longitudinal axis of the boat.

It is contemplated that the elbows in the shafts of the novel oars can be supplied, if desired, by any suitable form of pipe joints or couplings, i.e., if not formed merely by pipe-bending or wood-bending and setting techniques. Also, they, or segments of them, may have any desired cross-sectional characteristics, e.g., channel or I-beam like. And/ or extruded and shaped plastic may be used, if of suitable rigidity and strength.

In place of the lead strips 62 of FIG. 20, any desired weighting means may be employed, e.g., weights similar to those constituting the pendulums in pendulum scales, or lead weights provided with screw-threaded shanks complementary to screw-threaded sockets in the pre-pivot portions of the oars.

Referring again to FIGS. 4-7, it may be observed that the natural elevations of the pull paths of the prior art oars and the new oars can be regarded as the same, in which case the reverse paths involve upward lifting of the new oars, as contrasted with downward pushing on the prior art oars. This difference makes extra space available above the oarsmans thighs and knees, which space is used by the novel cross boards 55 of FIGS. 16-19.

In place of the pins 56 of those figures downward flanges might be added to the cross boards to closely flank the outer walls of the gunwales of the boat and be held against front-rear displacement by any further desired form of further fastening means, if needed. Moreover such flanges might be extended rearwardly so that their lower rearward portions can serve as supports for the ends of an auxiliary seat, appropriately disposed for use by the oarsman, via affixation of said ends to said lower rearward portions.

It will be apparent that many minor changes in physical embodiments of the invention may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination:

A boat having a pair of mutually opposite right-side and left-side oar locks having oar lock pins and a pair of oars respectively mounted in said oar locks, said oars being mounted on said locks at a common elevation, and said pins providing upright pivot axes about which said oars respectively turn during use,

Each said oar, in position of use, extending from its said lock pin transversely across the boat and thereafter terminating in a blade portion, each said oar being axially elbowed downwardly to dispose its said blade portion below said common elevation,

Both said oars being additionally axially elbowed to provide crossward segments that are oblique to the longitudinal axis of the boat, are vertically spaced apart, and are in crisscross interrelationship as viewed in plan, at least a portion of at least one of said crossward segments being at an elevation higher than said common elevation,

Whereby avoidance of intercontact between said oars during use is facilitated.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein Each of said oars comprises an upright segment forming an axial elbow with a said crossward segment, such elbow being disposed at the frontward end of such crossward segment in the case of one said oar, and at the rearward end of such crossward segment in the case of the other said oar,

Horizontal spacing apart of such upright segments longitudinally of the boat being thereby accomplished.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein One of said oars comprises at least two such upright segments, one of which extends downwardly from the rearward end of a said crossward segment and the other of which extends upwardly from the frontward end of the same crossward segment.

4. For use in mutually crisscrossing relationship on a row-boat having a pair of upright oar-lock sockets respectively disposed at opposite loci on each side of the boat and at a common elevation,

A pair of bow-facing oars respectively mounted in an oar lock each said oar lock having a depending oar lock pin disposed for rotary reciprocation in one of such sockets,

The shaft of each said oar extending, when in position of use on such a row-boat, from its respective said pin to its blade end, the later being situate beyond the opposite side of the boat, and comprising a series of turns such that, in thus extending, the shaft follows a zigzag path across the boat, which path is zigzag in appearance both when viewed in plan and when viewed in rear elevation,

Portions of said shafts intermediate their respective said pins and blade ends consequently crossing each other at different elevations when said blade ends are equally submerged in a body of water during use,

Whereby avoidance of mutual intercontact between said oars during use is facilitated.

5. The pair of oars of claim 4 wherein one of said different elevations is at least one and one-half inches higher than the other.

6. The pair of oars of claim 5 wherein one of said different elevations is at least three inches higher than the other.

7. In combination:

(a) a boat having right-side oar-lock socket and a leftside oar lock socket,

(b) a cross board overlying both said sockets, said board resting on said boat and containing a plurality of vertical openings at least one of which is located to one side of the center plane of the boat and at least one of which is located to the other side of said plane,

7 8 (c) said board being anchored to said boat by pins eX- References Cited kdeotzvnwardly from said board into said respec- UNITED STATES PATENTS 8. The combination of claim 7 which comprises 3,091,781 6/1963 Wisbrod (d) a pair of oars, each of which oars is provided with FOREIGN PATENTS an oar lock pin and each of which pins is operatively disposed in one of said vertical openings. 58868O 2/1925 France 9. The combination of claim 8 wherein (e) each of said oars extends beyond the side of the MILTON BUCHL'ER pflmw'y Examl'ler' boat farthest from the vertical opening in which its 10 P E SAUBERER Assistant Examiner respective said oar lock pin is disposed. 

1. IN COMBINATION: A BOAT HAVING A PAIR OF MUTUALLY OPPOSITE RIGHT-SIDE AND LEFT-SIDE OAR LOCKS HAVING OAR LOCK PINS AND A PAIR OF OARS RESPECTIVELY MOUNTED IN SAID OAR LOCKS, SAID OARS BEING MOUNTED ON SAID LOCKS AT A COMMON ELEVATION, AND SAID PINS PROVIDING UPRIGHT PIVOT AXES ABOUT WHICH SAID OARS RESPECTIVELY TURN DURING USE, EACH SAID OAR, IN POSITION OF USE, EXTENDING FROM ITS SAID LOCK PIN TRANSVERSELY ACROSS THE BOAT AND THEREAFTER TERMINATING IN A BLADE PORTION, EACH SAID OAR BEING AXIALLY ELBOWED DOWNWARDLY TO DISPOSE ITS SAID BLADE PORTION BELOW SAID COMMON ELEVATION, BOTH SAID OARS BEING ADDITIONALLY AXIALLY ELBOWED TO PROVIDE CROSSWARD SEGMENTS THAT ARE OBLIQUE TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE BOAT, ARE VERTICALLY SPACED APART, AND ARE IN CRISSCROSS INTERRELATIONSHIP AS VIEWED IN 